Hard work pays off for Lunenburg's Hansel

Lunenburg junior Brook Hansel competes in the mile during a meet at Fitchburg High School this season. SENTINEL & ENTERPRISE / JOHN LOVE

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LUNENBURG -- When it comes to dynasties in local sports, perhaps no squad fits that billing more than the Lunenburg girls' track team.

Year after year the Blue Knights seem to find themselves in the top of the league standings and in the hunt for championships.

Graduation appears to deal a brutal blow annually, but with Lunenburg head coach Steve Kyajohnian endlessly bringing in new talent, the Blue Knights always seem to reload.

Kyajohian works in the elementary school as a physical education teacher, and always seems to have a multiple-year head start in pinpointing his next star. A few years back, Kyajohnian spotted Brook Hansel, who later burst on the scene as an eighth-grader after some swaying to join the team. Now a junior, Hansel now finds herself as one of the best distance runners in the entire state.

Hansel will be competing in Saturday's all-state meet, and if everything goes as planned, she will have a strong likelihood of advancing to New Englands.

"As an eighth-grader I wasn't even thinking I was going to run indoor track," Hansel said. "Then Coach K came up to me, and he's always trying to recruit new track people, and made me feel like I could be an important member of the team. I never thought that I'd be this good at it.

"It's so fun to be part of the Lunenburg track team because we've had so much success, we're like part of the legacy. When you're part of the team, you're part of something very special.

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Hansel achieved major milestones at the state level last year as a 1,000-meter runner, competing at all-states as just a sophomore. But in an effort to put her team in a better position to win earlier in the league championship, attempted the 2-mile to get additional points.

The times she posted impressed Kyajohnian, and the two decided that shifting to the 2-mile would make for a greater likelihood of hardware down the road, especially looking at the Division 5 state seedings. Unlike most of her competitors on Saturday, Hansel is not a cross country runner -- she's a soccer player instead -- which could have its advantages.

"I didn't usually run the 2-mile in the past," Hansel said. "I never did it in the bigger meets and it's new to me. I haven't done a lot of distance this season, but this week I was able to train a little bit harder that way. I definitely don't have as much distance (as the state meet competitors), but I do feel fresh with it and I'm ready to go."

There is a bit of a gap between the projected winner of the all-state meet and the pack, but Hansel enters into the meet as the fifth seed (11:18.72), within a five-second span that separates seeds four through 10. If Hansel can break 11:12, she will move ahead of school record-holder Jess Iannacci.

"Our goal for her is to try to knock down a few seconds," Kyajohnian said. "Six seconds is a lot, but we're trying to get down to that 11:14, 11:15 range. We're not focused on breaking the school record, but more focused on finishing in the top six. It might be more of a strategic race to try and get in the top six (and New Englands), and she's got a shot to do that."

Having participated in state championships in the past, and having success individually last year at all-states, Hansel feels she might be in a better position to succeed then others who do not have that experience.

"I always used to get really, really nervous before meets," Hansel said. "I feel that as I've done it more I've learned to control my nerves a little bit, stay calm and just do my thing."

Hansel started training like a veteran at a young age, following the lead of then upperclassman Jen Markham, who attends Lehigh University on a track scholarship. In addition to a strict workout regime, she follows up every day with weight training, which has become somewhat of a fun routine for her.

"I like going into the weight room after track, and it's become kind of a relaxing routine," Hansel said. "The distance crew all trains together, you become really close with your teammates and make friends that you otherwise wouldn't. That helps you push yourself more, when you have someone doing it there with you."

Sometimes elite athletes tend to focus on what is best for them individually, attempting to perfect one event, and cater to individual goals over the overall well-being of the team. But unlike others, Hansel is a team player first, which may very well lead to individual success in the 2-mile this championship season.

"A lot of (Hansel's) success is due to her work ethic, and she's very coachable," Kyajohnian said. "She embraced her new role as a leader really well and said she's willing to do anything I need to help us win the meets. She's unselfish, steps right up and is everything you want in a runner."

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